Secrets
by pselJacobs
Summary: Pre strike. Heidi is a part time newsie who also is able to go to school. She tries to keep her newsie life hidden from her boyfriend, David Jacobs, but what happens when he finds out?


**Disclaimer: I only own Heidi (AKA Princess). **

"'Ey dere Princess," Jack Kelly greeted Heidi when she walked in the door. "'Ow was school?"  
"You know, booky," she responded.

Heidi Samson was a part time newsie. She was full time until she saw in the paper an article about their local high school offering full scholarships to those who were in need of education, and she couldn't resist. She had been attending school for the last month and a half and sold newspapers on some afternoons and on weekends. This afternoon she was busy with homework. So she ran up the stairs to her room. Since she was the only girl, she had her own room. The boys treated her like their little princess, hence the name Princess.

She closed the door and spread her books on her bed. She decided to start with history. She needed to read two chapters, but she was having a hard time focusing. She had plans that night, and she had to bite her lip to keep her smile from taking over her face. She just had to find a way to sneak out without any of the guys noticing.

That night, around 8:00, when she was sure all the boys were in their room and they thought she was asleep, she put on her long jacket that covered her outfit and quietly made her way down the stairs.

She had almost made it to the door when she heard Kid Blink say, "Where ya off to Princess?"

She stopped in her tracks. She looked to the side and saw Blink leaning against the desk in the lobby.

"I-I thought you were with the others."

"I was just comin' in from a smoke. But ya didn't answer my question. Where ya off to?"  
"Oh, um, just-just...out."

"Out?"  
"Yeah, out. A girl can't just go for a walk?"  
"At 8:00 at night? In 'Hattan? Alone?" She shrugged. "Ya know ya can't go outside at night widout one of us."  
"I'm 17, Blink. I'm a big girl. I think I can handle myself." She tried to move to the door, but he grabbed her sleeve and accidentally pulled her jacket off, revealing that she was wearing a dark blue dress.

"You all dressed up ta go on a walk?" She tried to reach for her jacket but he held it out of her reach. "Well?"

She sighed. "Look, I have plans. But that's it. Innocent plans that need no explanation. So let it go." She grabbed her jacket and walked out the door.

Blink watched her close the door, then ran upstairs.

"Jack," he called to their leader. Jack came away from the group of boys he was talking with and went to Blink.

"Whatsa mattah?" He saw the concerned expression on his friend's face. Blink leaned in and whispered what had just happened. Jack's eyes widened. "Well what are we standin' 'round for? We needs ta follow 'er." The two left quickly and went outside. Luckily, they found her relatively fast. She was standing against the Horace Greely Statue in the square. Blink and Jack hid on the edge of a nearby alley, watching her. After a minute, they saw her turn her head and smile as someone approached. It was a guy. The two newsies looked to each other confused. Then their big brother instincts took over when they saw Heidi and this mystery boy share a long kiss. Blink had to hold Jack back from running over to the apparent couple. But instead, they just watched the two walk away holding hands.

The newsies trailed the two all the way to an apartment building and watched them go inside. Now the two were really worried. What was Princess doing in an apartment with some boy they never met? They decided they were going to find out. They made their way back to the Lodging House to wait for the girl.

Around 11:00, the front door opened and Heidi walked in, trying to be as quiet as she could. She had closed the door and was walking to the stairs. But she froze when she heard, "Well, well, well, look what da cat dragged in." Her head slowly turned and she saw Blink and Jack sitting in the lobby, staring at her with serious faces.

"Oh, um, he-hey guys. I would've thought you would be in bed by now." Her heart was racing.

"And we woulda thought you would know bettah den ta lie ta us," Blink said.

"What-what are you talking about?"  
"Who was dat boy?"  
"What boy? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Da boy dat brought ya alone inta in an apartment! What was goin' on in dere?!" Jack demanded to know.

"You two followed me?!" she exclaimed. "Are you kidding?!"  
"I knew you was lyin' 'bout what you were doin', so we did what we 'ad ta do," Blink explained. "Now answer da questions."

"I don't believe this," she mumbled quietly, looking off. Then she looked back at them and said, "First of all, that "boy" has a name. It's David Jacobs, and he's my boyfriend. He has been for a month now. He's in some of my classes at school. You happy now?"  
"No! 'Im bein' ya boyfriend just makes it woise dat you'se two was in an apartment," Jack shouted.

"Omigod, we didn't do anything! He was introducing me to his family for the first time! We all had dinner together and then he and I hung out on the fire escape together. Ooh, I hope I'm not pregnant."

"Dis ain't funny Princess. We cares 'bout ya and we desoive ta know everythin' dat goes on in ya life. Includin' ya love life."

"Look, I'm too tired for this right now. I had school all day...I don't have the energy to fight. We'll continue this in the morning." With that, she turned and stalked up the stairs. The boys heard her door slam behind her.

The next morning, Heidi was out the door before either Blink or Jack had woken up. She didn't want to deal with them first thing. She was planning on using school to think about what she would say to them. But she forgot about her problems when she walked onto the school yard and saw David sitting at a table outside with some of his friends. He looked up and smiled at her, waving for her to join them. As she neared, she saw that Elizabeth Yolcs was sitting there too. She had to force herself not to make a face. Elizabeth had a huge crush on David and had been trying to steal him from Heidi the second they got together. But David always assured Heidi that he would never leave her.

"Good morning," she said to David as she sat next to him.

"Morning you," he said back, putting an arm around her and kissing the top of her head. Heidi could see through her peripherals Elizabeth glaring at her, but she just ignored her.

"Last night was fun. Your family is really nice."

"I'm glad you had a good time. When do I get to meet yours now?"  
"Oh, um..."

"Hiding something are we?" Elizabeth spoke up.

"No," she spat back. "My family is just...complicated. They're difficult when it comes to me and boys." She turned back to David. "So I'm just not ready for you to meet them."

"And that's perfectly fine," he told her. "Whenever you're comfortable." The bell then rang, and everyone headed inside.

Elizabeth wasn't so convinced by Heidi's story. She was sure she was hiding something. And she was determined to find out.

Heidi couldn't pay much attention in class. Her mind kept drifting to Blink and Jack and what they would say to her when she got home.

It was finally time to find out. At 2:00, the bell rang and the students were released. David and Heidi continued their routine of him walking her to the square and them going their separate ways. But this time, Elizabeth was following them. Once Heidi and David split off, she continued following behind Heidi all the way to the Newsboys Lodging House. The other girl was very confused about why David's girlfriend would be going there, but with the next day being Saturday, she knew she had all the time to figure it out.

When Heidi walked in the door, she saw Blink and Jack waiting for her. She took a breath and walked over to them.

"Hi," she greeted them.

"'Ey Princess," jack said back in a soft voice. Blink gave her a slight smile. "Look, 'bout last night, we'se really sorry we got so upset wid ya."

"We shouldn't'a followed ya and den confronted ya like dat," Blink added.

"I guess I should've told you about David," she put in.

"Yeah, why didn't'cha?"

"Well, you see, he...he doesn't know I'm a newsie."

"Whadda ya mean he don't know?"  
"It's just never come up."

'It 'asn't come up, or you 'aven't told him?" Jack asked. When she didn't respond, he went on, "Heidi, are you ashamed of bein' a newsie?"  
"It's not that I'm ashamed. It's just...I never thought I would get a guy, much less a guy like David who's smart and educated and comes, well, not from the poorer class. I'm just worried that if he finds out, he's gonna dump me and I can't handle losing him like that."

"Ya knows dat if he leaves ya just for bein' you, he ain't da right guy fro ya," Blink told her.

"But I want him to be. And I will tell him. Just, not yet. I promise." The boys had to accept this.

Heidi went up to her room and changed into her newsies clothes. Since she had the weekend to do her homework, she was going to sell that afternoon. But when she walked out, she didn't notice that Elizabeth was still there and watching her. She followed her all the way to the Distribution Center. Everything clicked when she saw the girl buy newspapers and start calling out headlines. Elizabeth made a beeline to her.

"So, this is what you're hiding," she stated.

Heidi paled when she saw Elizabeth standing in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered.

"You're a newsie? Oh, this is too good. Davey's just gonna die when he hears that his perfect girlfriend is just a dirty little street worker. And I saw you go in that building." She pointed back to where the Lodge was. "So, I'm assuming you live there, is that correct?" Heidi didn't respond. She just stared at the girl in front of her, unsure of what to say. "So what? You don't have a real home? Or a family? You're just a little orphan, pining away for a normal life."

"I do have a normal life," Heidi finally found her voice. "I have a job, I go to school, I have a boyfriend."

"Not for long you do. Once Davey finds out your secret, he'll leave you. And there's nothing you can do about it."

Heidi tried to think of a comeback, but it was too late. Elizabeth was walking away, new knowledge in her head that Heidi had been hoping no one at her school would've ever found out about. And now David was going to know, and , Elizabeth was right, there was nothing she could do to stop it. The thought of David leaving her made her feel sick. Somehow, she made it through selling that day. But she didn't feel anything, and nothing else could go through her mind than David breaking up with her.

That night, they were having dinner at Tibby's. Everyone noticed something was wrong with Heidi. She wasn't eating, and wasn't talking to anyone.

"What's wrong Princess?" Mush asked.

Her head snapped up. "Huh? Oh, no-nothing. I'm fine."

"You ain't eatin'," Skittery pointed out.

"I'm not hungry. I actually feel a little sick." She pushed her plate away. "You guys, I think I'm just gonna go back to the Lodge and go to sleep." She stood up and walked out of the restaurant, not looking at anyone. They all watched her go. Blink and Jack just looked at each other.

"Should one of us go aftah 'er?" Mush wondered.

"Nah, nah," Jack said. "She's just goin' through some goil stuff."

"It's bettah dat we leave 'er alone for a while," Blink added.

Back in her room, Heidi was just curled under the covers of her bed, going through every scenario that might happen with her and David. She wanted to believe that he wouldn't leave her, but she knew that he would. A smart guy like David didn't need to be with a girl with no future.

The next morning she was no better, she just went through the routines of the day: wake up, sell, sleep. She had minimal interactions with the boys, and they were just getting more worried about her, even though Blink and Jack told them it was nothing they could help with. But that didn't stop the two of them from trying to get involved. They kept bringing her aside and asking if things with her and David were alright. She just kept saying that nothing was wrong, and she was handling it.

She could handle it, up until Monday when she had to go to school and face David. She wanted to throw up when she saw him leaning against the stairs, with Elizabeth talking to him. He had a very confused look on his face, and Heidi was certain that Elizabeth was telling him. She just stood there, watching the two. David noticed she was there, his eyes glancing over to her, then flickered back to Elizabeth. Elizabeth also noticed Heidi and gave her a smirk. She put a hand on David's arm, then walked away. David faced Heidi again, making her nervous because he didn't smile at her like he usually did. He made his way over to her and stopped in front of her.

"He-hey David," she said to him.

"Have you been lying to me?" he asked her, plainly. "Or is this one of Elizabeth ruses to win me over?"

"What do you mean?"  
"She told me that she saw you on Friday coming out of the Newsboys Lodging House and selling papers. Are you a newsie Heidi?" She bit her lip and looked down. "You lied to me?"  
"I didn't lie you. I just didn't tell you-"

"That's lying Heidi!" She jumped a little at his raised voice. "Keeping important information from your boyfriend, that's lying!"

"I didn't mean to lie to you. I just couldn't deal with losing you." She felt tears prick at her eyes, but she was trying to hold them back.

"I don't think I can do this Heidi. I don't know if I can trust you, after you kept something this major from me."

"David..." She reached for his hand, but he pulled away.

"I-I...I just..." he trailed off and walked away into the school.

Tears started to flow down Heidi's face and she knew she couldn't handle being there that day. She turned on her heel and ran away. She kept running all the way back to the Lodge House. She passed fellow newsies on the street, ignoring them. But Blink and Jack saw her too and ran after her.

She threw herself on her bed and cried. She hugged her pillow to her body, not knowing what else to do. It took her a minute to realize she wasn't alone. She looked up and saw Blink and jack standing in her doorway. The two walked over to her and sat on either side of her.

"What 'appened?" Jack asked calmly.

In between sobs, she explained, "Dav-David found out about me, and he got pissed, and-and he...he broke up with me." Her two "brothers" hugged her from both sides and just held her. When she finally calmed down, they pulled from her and tried to talk to her.

"So, he found out you was a newsie, and dumped ya?" Blink clarified.

"No, it wasn't like that. He just got upset that I lied to him. I tried to explain that I didn't mean to lie to him, but..."

"Den maybe he just needs time ta cool off. Give 'im a few days and maybe'll he'll come back ta ya."

And she did just that. She didn't go to school the next day, and when she did come back, she tried to stay away from him to give him some space. The day after, Elizabeth decided to confront her at the end of the day.

"So, how are things going with you and David? Oh, that's right, he dumped you."

"What satisfaction did you get out of breaking us up? He didn't come running to you. He still has no interest in you."

"Now. But he'll realize I'm perfect for him once he finally gets over his no good dirty little newsie ex." Elizabeth pushed her. Heidi stumbled back, and gave her a look that said 'you do not want to start this'. But the other girl gave her a look back that said 'bring it on'.

Heidi shoved her back, harder. Elizabeth just glared at her, and pulled at her hair. Heidi was able to get out of it, and punched her in the jaw. Elizabeth stepped on her foot, and hit her on the head. A crowd started to form around them. Heidi caught hold of Elizabeth, but Elizabeth elbowed her in the stomach and pushed her against the wall. Heidi was a good fighter, but she was caught off guard that Elizabeth was also good. She repelled off the wall and fell to the floor. Elizabeth stood over her and kicked her in the side. It wasn't hard enough to break anything, but she knew there would be a bruise. Elizabeth put on foot on her stomach, and pressed down.

"Guys! Guys! Stop it!" David's voice came through the crowd. He broke through and pulled Elizabeth off Heidi. A teacher also came running down the hall, getting rid of the crowd.

"Ms. Yolcs, you know that we have a zero tolerance for fighting at this school," the teacher, Mrs. Gruin, said. She pulled the girl down the hallway to the principle's office, while Elizabeth tried to make some excuse.

David helped Heidi off the floor. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I've been through worse." The two stood awkwardly. "I-I have to go."

"Wait." He grabbed her hand. She turned to face him. "I just want to say I'm sorry for the other day."

"You have nothing to be sorry about. I should've told you. I had no right keeping it from you."

"No, I understand that you weren't comfortable telling me everything and I should've respected that."

"But you were my boyfriend. You had all your trust in me. And I ruined that."

"You didn't ruin it. I was just mad. I still have all my trust in you."

"What are you saying?"  
"I'm saying, I'd like to give us another try. If you want to that is."

A huge smile grew on her face. "Of course I want to." She jumped at him, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling her face into his neck. He wrapped his arms around her too and just held her there for a while. When they pulled apart, Heidi took his hand and laced her fingers through his. "Come with me. I want to show you something." They walked out of the school, and Heidi led David through the Manhattan streets to the Lodging House. He looked at her, confused. "This...this is my home. I live here." She brought him inside. "The rest of the newsies and I live here." He looked around. "Well?"

"I don't have to worry about you living with a bunch of boys right?"  
She chuckled. "Absolutely not."

"Then I love your home." They smiled at each other and leaned in to kiss.

They didn't hear the door open, but they pulled apart when they heard hollers and shouts. Heidi laughed seeing her friends.

"David," she said to him, "I'd like you to meet my family."

_Wow, longest one shot I've ever written. But what did you all think? REVIEW! _


End file.
